| Cross Words: Love Trumps The Law |
Richard Prow ~ rpcrosswords@gmail.com
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I have to confess that earlier in my life I used to drive through neighborhoods at 9 miles over the posted speed limit (that’s normally what the police will allow without actually giving you a ticket). After I had children however, a new motivation caused me to drive at or below the appropriate speed. My concern for my children’s safety had trumped my urge to gun the accelerator. Love had done what the law could not.
“The law” according to the Apostle Paul is “powerless” (Romans 8:3). Powerless to make us conform perfectly. Powerless to make us act completely righteous. Powerless to make us love one another. Powerless to save our souls by our obedience to it.
We often times follow the law only to save ourselves from some form of punishment, i.e. a speeding ticket. We follow it to escape feelings of guilt and condemnation. Sometimes we obey the law simply because we’re afraid of what others may think.
Love on the other hand frees us to live life without conviction and shame. It motivates us to serve one another, not out of obligation, but rather out of sincere selflessness. It stirs in us a desire to worship God, not for fear He may send us to hell if we don’t, but because we have experienced His unconditional love. It causes us to do the right thing, not because we have to but rather because we want to. Simply put, love saves us from the law.
The last words Jesus uttered from the cross were “It is finished” (John 19:30). What He was referring to was humankind’s bondage to the law. “He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:13-14).
Just in case your wondering, this doesn’t mean we don’t have to obey the speed limits or any other law for that matter. It just means our motive for doing so is now different.
By the way, if the statute of limitations hasn’t expired, the story in the opening paragraph was purely hypothetical!
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